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Food

In 2012, we learned about the far-reaching expertise and the international attention of Shane Draper, owner of DBQ. So we asked the pro to offer up a little insight into the world of competitive BBQ. Here’s what we learned.

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. In fact, events in my life have gone so counter to expectation over the years that I have come to embrace the belief that our strengths often become our weakness and our weakness our strength. What does this have to do with hamburgers? The evolution of our beef enterprise over almost five decades and the quality of its present end product (the grass-fed ground beef and the accompanying cuts) proves the accuracy of this observation.

"This is the family dynasty," says Paul Parker as he thinks about his family's business and why we came back to Paducah after nearly two decades in Lexington. "I came back to carry that forward." The dynasty he refers to is Parker's Drive-In, a Lone Oak mainstay and hamburger haven.

Among Paducah’s best burger joints, the Station Burger Company is the new kid on the block. But then again, no other restaurant has caused quite a sensation in the burger world like they have in quite some time.

The hamburger market can be fiercely competitive. To stay ahead, one must be innovative, forward thinking, and a step ahead of the other guys. Just ask McDonalds and Burger King. But one of Paducah’s finest burger joints has carved out its place in history by keeping things just the way they’ve always been.